AWD from DST Technologies is one of those well-kept secrets in BPM: I know about them because I’ve done a lot of implementations with mutual fund companies, which is one of their primary markets due to DST Systems’ transfer agency solution and their involvement in business process outsourcing (do not ask me to explain the web of companies that make up DST and its parents/children/siblings). When you mention DST and AWD to most people in the BPM space, however, you’ll get a faintly puzzled look. And when I mentioned that I was going to be attending their conference in Kansas City this week, I got a few raised eyebrows, because it appears that analysts aren’t usually invited along. It’s like a secret society or something. I’m still waiting for the initiation ritual.

I was one of those raised eyebrows. I couldn’t believe it because I don’t recall any analyst writing/tweeting/blogging about AWD at a conference before.

From what she’s written, it sounds like a pretty good install-base pitch – “good enough” BPM for customers that are already heavily invested in DST product(s). Not designed to attract net-new customers per se.